Creating credibility
Subtitle: legitimacy and accountability for transnational civil society
By: by L. David Brown.
Publisher: Kumarian Press
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Bloomfield, CT
Language: eng
Number of pages: 183
ISBN-13: 9781565492639; 9781565492646
Subjects: Civil society; International organization; Non-governmental organizations; Responsibility -- Political aspects; Responsibility -- Social aspects
Description: "In many countries, civil society organizations (CSOs) are more trusted by the general public than businesses and government. Business leaders might maximize their profits at the expense of the business or its customers, and government officials might use their power for their own gain, but CSOs depend on their good reputations and performance in order to mobilize resources. They have fewer opportunities to convert resources into self-interested uses. Recent experience suggests, however, that civil society leaders can also be guilty of self-interested behavior, even though the rewards may be less dramatic than they are in other sectors. This is especially a concern as CSOs become more influential in national and international affairs." "Without legitimacy in the eyes of the public and other key actors, CSOs cannot effectively function in the transnational arena. Civil society expert L. David Brown provides approaches to assessing and enhancing the legitimacy and accountability of CSOs, allowing them to reach their full potential in contributions to governance and problem-solving. Creating Credibility is an essential text for anyone concerned with understanding the challenges to civil society legitimacy and finding ways CSOs can respond to these challenges."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Civil society legitimacy and accountability; title: Transnational legitimacy and accountability challenges; title: Assessing legitimacy and accountability; title: Enhancing legitimacy and accountability; title: Strategic choice and organizational credibility; title: Negotiating sector credibility; title: Negotiating campaign credibility; title: Negotiating cross-sector partnership credibility; title: Civil society and transnational social learning.